Complaint to U.S. Department of Justice against the State of Hawaiʻi concerning unconstitutional prison conditions and overcrowding (2017)

“The ACLU of Hawaiʻi seeks to remedy the unconstitutional and unsafe conditions in the
State of Hawaii’s correctional system and to vindicate the Eighth and Fourteenth amendment rights of its inmates. The ACLU is aware that the Department of Justice and its Special Litigation Section work “to protect the rights of people who are in prisons and jails run by state or local governments” whenever “a state or local government systematically deprives people in these facilities of their rights.”

The practices described in this complaint constitute a systemic pattern causing harm to institutionalized persons in Hawaiʻi. The ACLU acknowledges and appreciates that the Department of Justice has in the past investigated, commenced legal action, and settled a case concerning the woefully inadequate mental health services provided to inmates
at OCCC.

Unfortunately, these and other conditions have not improved since the Department
of Justice’s last enforcement action. Therefore, the ACLU respectfully requests that the
Department of Justice investigate the claims in this Complaint, order the State of Hawaiʻi to cease its unconstitutional policies and practices, and if necessary, take appropriate legal action.”